I am trying to make covers for the rocker/threshold out of T-16 aluminum. Trying to get rid of water absorbing horse hair/vinyl etc. T-16 is not bending easily. So I am heating (annealing) so I can form it. Very slow at the moment. Any suggestions would be helpful. I know buy plastic ones from "Black Phaeton".
Button - if by T-16 you mean 1.63mm thickness, you will struggle to get a uniform bend. 1.5mm is the maximum I can bend into a curve. Even then it can easily dog-leg into an irregular bend which then has to be filed.
For the threshold I think 1.2mm would work well enough. It could be padded behind with camping mat if necessary.
You also need a strong former over which to bend. I've used my large jack handle and for this job I happened to have two really stiff cardboard tubes, which were perfect.
Once I used the clothes post in the garden.............
A drain pipe would also work. When my bench vice and timber offcuts don't do the job, I sometimes slot the piece between two of the timbers which cover the pit, and use wedges in the adjacent slot to hold tight.
I've tried heat in the past but I could never get it hot enough with my blowlamp to make any difference.
Good luck with it - I may do something similar eventually.
